Respiratory illnesses are continuing to keep Christchurch pre-schoolers off sick, as health authorities forecast respiratory syncytial virus numbers will keep rising. A one-year-old at the Woolston pre-school had been hospitalised with RSV, however, she has since recovered and returned this week. Canterbury District Health Board medical officer of health Dr Cheryl Brunton said there had been a steep rise in the number of confirmed RSV cases in the past two weeks, with 114 confirmed cases between July 5 and 11. "This likely reflects the rise seen in other parts of the country, and we are expecting case numbers to continue to rise,” Brunton said. "We’re unable to confirm whether these are all due to RSV specifically as viral testing is not conducted on all patients.

Source: Otago Daily Times July 15, 2021 00:33 UTC